An Alternate Track

[Haven City - Weeks Later]

Andrew wandered through a hallway before stopping at a door and knocking on it. “Stacy? It’s Andrew. Are you okay in there?”

“Yes! I mean no! I mean…God, I’m a mess,” she replied.

Andrew entered and what he saw was the exact opposite of what Stacy said. There she stood in a white wedding dress with her hair done up in a bun. She couldn’t take her eyes off her own reflection in the mirror. “I should be excited. I should be already running out the door. But why am I frozen? Not even my tanks can convince me to move.”

“It’s just your nerves,” Andrew replied reassuringly. “You’re about to marry your waifu-uh I mean husbando.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Once it's over it'll be pure bliss beyond that point. But don’t worry, I’ll be there to help you, but you’re gonna have to kiss him yourself. I like the guy but not that much.”

Stacy laughed at that and lightly punched her friend's arm. “You better not. Honestly, what would I do without you today?”

“With Gregory not here somebody has to pick up the slack,” Andrew said before he frowned slightly. “If only he came back just for this.”

“Maybe he’ll surprise us and just swoop in here acting like Obi Wan and his famous ‘Hello there’ quote,” Stacy giggled.

“One can only hope,” Andrew said before looking at his watch. “You ready? It’s time.”

Stacy took one last look in the mirror before nodding. “Yes…”

The two exited the room and went down the hall of the church towards a set of doors that led to the altar. But just as they were getting close they both heard the sounds of flapping wings. Andrew looked towards the entrance. “Late arrival? Everyone is accounted for.”

Standing in the doorway, wearing some mage style robes of blue and white, and holding a very familiar staff, was Gregory. However, he looked much different and to those with magic, felt different. His hair was much longer than it had been, falling down loosely down to his elbows. He also had a long silvery white beard. His icy blue eyes looked around, then he spotted Andrew. He inclined his head, then gave a small smile as he said, “Hello, there,” in an accent that was much like Obi Wan’s.

“Called it,” Stacy said before giggling.

“The hell have you been?” Andrew asked.

“We can discuss that later,” Gregory replied as he entered the huge altar room and took a seat at the very back out of the way and not next to his family.

They both shrugged as they both walked in and the organ began playing and the Cutie Mark Crusaders started their flower filly routine. Many creatures looked to see the two human friends walking side by side up the aisle towards the front where the officiate and Flash Sentry were waiting. They both approached and Stacy took one small glance at the crowd. Many of her tanks were parked at the front with their turrets pointing upwards. She then looked back down to her groom.

“Dearly beloved,” began the pony officiate. “We are gathered here to witness the matrimonial union between Flash Sentry and Stacy Brendom. The two have come from different walks of life but their walks have landed them here where they share memories old and new and together they have helped defend this land with their lives. If there is any creature here who believes they shouldn’t wed, let them speak now or forever hold your peace.”

There was a brief silence before the officiate continued. “Very well, will the groom make his vow?”

Flash took a brief moment to compose himself before speaking. “When I was a colt, I was told by my parents I would grow up to do many great things. They were right. I became a royal guard, I once had the honor of dating a princess for a short time, and later I had the honor of meeting a new species and defending my home alongside her,” Flash stated. “Stacy, I vow to do what I promised my captain of the guard. I vow to love, defend, and honor you till we depart.”

Stacy had tears trailing down. Andrew smiled from the side as he knew Stacy had chosen her mate well. He took one small glance at the back where Gregory was. He was still alone, as his family had either not noticed his presence or weren’t going to him yet. He was smiling warmly at this display.

“Very good. Now, will the bride make her vow?”

Stacy took a deep breath and spoke. “I have been many things in this life of mine. A child of wide eye curiosity. A top graduate in my highschool. An explorer of a new world searching for answers. And a leader to a small army I can summon. And now I am now something I’m more proud and happy to be more than anything, a bride to the one I love. I vow to love and honor you.”

“Very good, now the rings,” the officiate said as a young dragon held up a pillow that had two special rings one crafted for a human finger and the other crafted for a pegasus wing. Andrew remembered while unicorns wore rings on their horns he now realized pegasi wear something on their wings that only left him the question on where rings go on earth ponies. That was a question for another time.

“Do you Flash Sentry of Canterlot take Stacy Brendom to be your lovely wedded wife until death do you part?”

“I do,” Flash said.

“And do you Stacy Brendom of Lancaster Pennsylvania take Flash Sentry to be your lovely wedded husband until death do you part?”

“I do,” Stacy said.

“Then by the power vested in me through our goddess Faust and the human holy spirit I pronounce you husband and wife you may now kiss the bride.”

As the two kissed, something happened that wasn’t planned. A number of what looked like glowing crystals appeared hanging in the air, combining the favorite colors of bride and groom and further illuminating the room in the combined lights. At the back, Gregory hadn’t moved, but the crystal on the top of his staff was slightly glowing. What was planned however were a few tanks firing confetti from their barrels as the crowd cheered. Andrew looked up to the crystals. “That wasn’t in the budget…” He then looked towards Gregory. “Clever…”

Soon many were gathering in a large ballroom for the reception. Ember, Twilight, Spike, and Cozy Glow were looking rather downcast as Andrew approached. “You four look glum,” he observed.

Ember scoffed. “That’s an understatement. If only he was here or at least knew where he was.”

“Oh don’t worry, he’s closer than you think.”

At that moment, the doors to the reception hall opened. Still dressed in the magelike robes that Rarity had made for him long ago and holding his staff, Gregory walked through. He looked around briefly, but somehow didn’t see his family. Instead, he waved a hand, creating an enchanted ice glass, filled it with the punch, then went to sit in a corner to watch the festivities with a small smile on his face.

Cozy saw this first and gasped. She then took off like a jet. “DADDY!”

Gregory turned and saw the incoming pegasus filly. He moved more swiftly than anyone knew he could, placing the glass on a nearby table and then catching her in a matter of milliseconds. “Hello, Cozy,” he said warmly as he ran his hand through her wavy locks before kissing her head lovingly.

He then felt his robe getting wet as Cozy lifted her face to reveal her teary eyed smile. “Where did you go?” she asked as the sounds of the rest of the family came running up.

“I went far away to somewhere where I could learn to control my magic’s growth,” he said as he heard Twilight, Spike, and Ember coming up as well. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Ember’s face was almost unreadable as she slowly approached Gregory. Her lips looked like they were puckering up for a kiss. Gregory put Cozy aside, then stood up and brushed his long hair aside. “Okay, Ember,” he said, arms outstretched. “Let me have it.”

Gregroy expected many things whether it being a slap to the face or a punch to the stomach, but what he didn’t expect was a kick to the one area between his legs. He winced slightly and knelt over a bit before he straightened. “That’s for leaving!” she snarled.

“Yeah,” he said, “I deserved that.”

“And this is for coming back…” she said before she grabbed his robes, pulled him close, and kissed him.

His eyes widened even more at the ferocity and desperation of the kiss. It caused him to stumble back onto the chair. Ember clung to him tightly and the kiss became even more demanding. Finally, she broke it, eyes ablaze. He touched his lips, then reached down and stroked his brand new beard. “Huh, and here I thought the beard would be a turn off,” he muttered.

Gregroy then looked over at Twilight. Her expression was a mix of joy but at the same time he could detect mild disappointment. “We’re going to be having a long talk later.”

“I expected nothing less in the year I was gone,” he replied.

That made his family raise their eyebrows. “A year?” Spike asked. “You’ve been gone for like three weeks.”

“Yes I know,” Gregory replied, “but for me, I lived an entire year. You think my hair and beard would have grown this long in three weeks?”

“Catch up party with Gregory can wait. Stacy and Flash party now!” Pinkie exclaimed as she popped out of Gregroy’s robes.

Gregory reached down and stroked her mane gently. “Still as soft as ever, eh?” he asked with a warm smile.

Pinkie leaned into the gesture as Spike looked up to Ember. “You don’t look that surprised.”

“I gave up questioning how that pink thing even works anymore.”

“Welcome to the club,” Twilight said.

“Good call,” Gregory added before finally looking at Spike. “So, did you get my message?”

Spike was silent for a bit before responding. “I did and we managed to take care of it. Isn't that right, moms?” he asked as he looked at Twilight and Ember who were smiling.

Gregory smiled, then ruffled Spike’s spines. “Welcome to the family, son,” he said.

Just then Andrew walked up with a microphone. “Hate to interrupt the family reunion but Twilight mind coming up to the music stand? Stacy asked you to sing a certain song.”

Twilight took the mic from Andrew and nodded. “I’ll never understand why some bronies hate that song while Stacy and a few others do.”

The reception continued on with many either congratulating the newly wed couple or welcoming Gregory back from his trip. Of course all things come to an end as Flash and Stacy boarded the train to their honeymoon. “Bye guys! We’ll be back soon,” Stacy called as she threw the bouquet out the window of the coach.

“It's mine!” Rarity shouted as she tried to make a grab for it only for her to miss and Applejack grabbed it instead.

“Sorry about that, sugarcube,” Applejack laughed as others joined in.

Gregory walked up and patted Rarity on the back. “You’ll find your stallion soon enough,” he said. “You’ve got beauty, brains, and incredible skill with a needle. And you’re generous to boot. You’ve got the looks, girl.”

Rarity looked up and blushed. “Flatterer.”

As everyone left the station Ember pulled Gregory aside. “Still mad at you by the way. I think a night on the couch is enough for you.”

“That’s fine with me,” he replied.

“Actually, let's just hear him out first,” Twilight suggested. “There is obviously more to this than meets the eye.”

Ember scoffed. “Fine…”

Hours later, they were back in their apartment. Gregory removed his mage robes, revealing that he was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants. He looked like he had put on a decent amount of muscle, but at the same time his skin was a lot paler than it had been when he left. He put the staff away, then stretched. Looking back at Cozy and Spike, he said, “You two should go play somewhere while your moms and I talk,” he said.

The two nodded and left. Ember and Twilight looked at Gregory with a mixture of concern and judgment. “Speak,” Ember simply said.

He sat on one of the couches, then gestured for them to sit on the other. Once they did, he spoke. “My magic was going haywire,” he explained. “It was growing faster than I could learn to tame or control it. I could see the fear in both of your eyes. I couldn’t let this power growing inside me take over and harm anyone I cared about. So, I left and found a place that was surprisingly perfect for me to master the magic inside me.”

“You said something about a year,” Twilight said with worry. “What exactly was this place?”

“I can’t tell you where I went exactly,” he said, “but inside was a powerful magic that let me live days while only an hour or so passed in the outside world.”

Twilight gasped. “You mean you went somewhere that slowed time for you?”

“Very much so,” he said as he reached back to tie his hair back. “Hence me coming back looking like a young Gandalf.”

“Gregory, that’s dangerous! I’ve heard of those kinds of places. If you lost track of time you would’ve come back looking like you were in your eighties or nineties.”

“Fortunately, I brought my phone with me to help,” he said, “and whenever night would fall, I would go outside and sleep until morning.”

“Still, that was incredibly risky! What would you have done if you had spent ten years or twenty trying to regain control? Do you honestly think Cozy or Spike would want to see you looking like their grandpa by the time they become young adults?”

“I knew the risks the moment I discovered this place,” he said, “and I kept myself grounded by using my phone to set alarms to let me sleep, eat, and bathe regularly. I kept track of how many days had passed.”

Now it was Ember’s turn. “Yeah what about us?! From what I’ve been hearing a lot of things have been happening that had people asking where was the human icicle hero? Starlight and Stacy were up to their eyes in school work and Jason got attacked right after you disappeared! Did you at least know about those risks?”

“I knew there were more risks that I couldn’t predict, but the biggest risk I saw at the time I left was me,” Gregory said. “Like I said, I saw and felt the fear radiating off of you two directed at me. I felt it from others too. I needed to leave to learn balance.”

The two softened a bit. “We understand that, Gregory, but more communication between us would’ve been necessary. Sure, there's a security problem now but at least something other than a message on a recording would’ve been fine.”

“I felt suspicion directed at me, too,” Gregory replied, “and mistrust whenever I mentioned Grogar. Part of me was hurt that nobody believed me, especially about the weird metal scorpion thing that I chased.”

“Scorponok,” Twilight said. Earning a look of confusion from Gregory. “Andrew and Jason told me it resembled something from a movie. That thing attacked a changeling guard outpost and nearly killed Jason.”

“Huh, interesting,” he muttered. “My point is, I felt alone. I know I wasn’t quite in my right mind and being paranoid. And it attacked again, huh? Does that mean people might believe me now? I doubt it.” He sounded a bit bitter now.

“All the changelings saw was the scorpion and nothing more,” Ember said. “Jason was lucky to have escaped all because Connie was passing by with a freight train. Oh and by the way what happened between him and Andrew were a part of a series of events you missed out on.”

“I’m sure I’ll learn about it later if they want to tell me,” he replied with a weary sigh.

“Still, please whenever you have something going on please tell us,” Twilight pleaded. “It's for real this time, no more secrets.”

“At the time, I believed you would just dismiss my claims like everyone else,” he replied, “passing it off as the ramblings of a madman. Everyone else did, including those who said they were friends.”

“Well let me ask you this,” Ember started. “Who did you see? Grogar the ram or a mad human who just got some of his supposed power?”

His expression became distant as he slowly stood. “You still don’t believe me,” he said accusingly as he stepped away from them.

“I want to believe you but if you had actually seen him I would,” Ember said. “If Discord's magic could be transferred to humans then maybe someone found Grogar’s power and absorbed it.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. “Perhaps my return was too soon,” he said with hurt in his tone as he walked over to grab his robes again along with his staff.

“Oh no you don’t!” Ember said, grabbing him by the arm. “You’ve been gone for too long and you’re not going back.”

He didn’t look back at her. Instead, he looked at the window. After a bit, he said, “I know you two want to believe me, but I know what I felt. That magic I felt didn’t just come from Grogar’s power, it came from him. Remember, I’ve felt Grogar’s power from the Bewitching Bell. The power I felt was similar, but far more potent. I told everyone this, but even you two thought I was insane. I…it hurts too much.”

“We don’t think you're insane. We just want proof that isn't a feeling,” Twilight stammered.

He pulled away from Ember quickly, surprising both of them. “I’ll be spending time in Briarwood,” he said emotionlessly as he walked to the window.

“That's a lie, isn’t it?” Ember said with a growl.

He shook his head. “No, I really will be spending time there,” he said. “Have a changeling come in and read my emotions if you really can’t trust me anymore.”

The two said nothing until Twilight broke the silence. “Just be back for dinner in an hour.”

He nodded silently, then walked over to the balcony. This time, he didn’t use wings to fly. Instead, his body became somewhat ethereal, similar in appearance to how the Windigos looked. He flew into the air, making his way towards Briarwood.

Moments after he landed near the Briarwood he saw Andrew and Rainbow snuggled up under a tree. Both of them looked like they had fallen asleep. Gregory lifted up, still in his ethereal form, and silently flew into the woods to avoid waking them as he made his way to his normal meditation spot. When he got there, he saw, to his delight, that not only was it free of snow, but a fairy ring had formed around the flattened stone he used for meditation. He sat down, closed his eyes, and began the meditation.

There was darkness in his eyelids for a moment as the sounds of the woods calmed his nerves. But the sounds were slowly replaced by the sounds of high winds and dropping temperature. Slowly, he began to see the silhouette of a mountain take shape. He then heard the sounds of a distant explosion as a huge mass of what he assumed was either snow or rock began falling down from the mountain. He also heard what sounded like a man screaming. He didn’t recognize it as anyone he knew.

He looked down, realizing that he was astral projecting, one of his brand-new abilities, and an ability that meant he could only observe, but at the same time couldn’t be detected even by the most powerful beings. He flew towards the sound of the man screaming, passing into a cave system until he reached a cavern lit by torchlight and a fire.

There he saw two humanoid looking creatures looking scared. One looked to another and rolled his eyes. “Well that’s one way of exercising,” he said to the female looking one.

“Clark really likes to flex his own muscles like that,” she said as she warmed her claws by the fire. “But seriously, this is so boring. When can we go out and smash something cooler?”

“You heard the boss, Jamie,” the other one said. “No one does anything until he gives us the go.”

At that, a part of the cave seemed to open like a door. Two figures came walking in, one being a weird looking humanoid, but the other looking familiar to Gregory. It was, indeed, Grogar. The red-eyed demonic ram looked around. “I see you fools are working as hard as ever,” he said in a mocking tone.

“Just following orders sir, albeit boring orders to do nothing,” said the one called Benson.

In the moment, Gregory was glad that he had mastered the art of masking his magic, because Grogar’s reply confirmed that his whereabouts were still unknown. “Oh, I have a good feeling that when the ice returns, you will be eager to go. His powers over dreams are the perfect excuse for everyone to turn against and ostracize him.”

“But sir, from what Clark has been saying, he’s stubborn as a mule. For all we know he must’ve found a solution given how he disappeared.”

Grogar scoffed. “It would take him a year at best to develop his new abilities properly,” he said, “and that won’t happen.”

“What if it does? You know he’ll be ready,” Benson said. “Exactly how many backup plans do you have?”

“That is for me to know and you to find out, human,” Grogar said, before lifting Benson up with his magic and beginning to lightly choke him. “Do not question me again. I gave you these powers, and can easily take them away, is that understood?”

“Uncle! Uncle!” Benson gargled. “Understood…”

Grogar smirked, then threw Benson against the wall. “None shall stand in my way, especially him. Even if he found a better way to control himself I’ll be ready.” He then turned to the third creature. “And I assume you know your role perfectly, don’t you Howard, my student?”

“Completely my lord. It will be done.”

Gregory, knowing he’d outstayed his welcome, silently left the cave. When he reached the exit, he looked around, hoping to get a good idea of where they were, but getting nothing. Sighing, and knowing he couldn’t find his body from here without the recall spell, and that would make him lose his location, he took in everything, then cast the recall spell.

When he opened his eyes, back in his body, he saw that Ember and Twilight were standing there, trying to get him to come out of his trance. He jumped up and looked down at them. He knew he hadn’t been gone an hour. “That was incredibly dangerous,” he scolded them.

“So was aging your body a year in the span of three weeks,” Ember said.

“I was astral projecting,” he said, much to Twilight’s own shock. He turned to her. “You know the dangers of moving a body doing that, right?”

“You might not have been able to return to your body…” Twilight said, looking horrified at the thought. “Are you that insane?! What were you trying to achieve with that?!”

He held out a hand, then began projecting something into the air. A mist of ice formed, and then the memory of what he just saw appeared before them, including the revelation that not only was Howard free from Tartarus, but that Grogar was, indeed, back. When the memory ended, he waved his hands and began hovering above them. “Still think I’m an insane man?”

“Never thought you were. We were just waiting for you to get proof in this form,” Twilight said.

“Did that stop you at Cadance’s wedding, Twilight?” Gregory asked.

“Don’t remind me or you will be on the couch tonight,” Twilight deadpanned.

“My point is, you were doing to me what your friends did to you,” Gregory said. “And besides, I’m already on the couch.” He brushed himself off. “I’m heading to Canterlot tomorrow. I need to talk to my fellow dreamwalker.”

Twilight then looked and saw Rainbow and Andrew walking up the trail. She quickly used her magic to shut off Gregory’s projection. “We can’t let anyone know yet. This will no doubt cause panic.”

“I’m still going to Canterlot regardless,” Gregory said. “Luna needs to send someone to Tartarus to confirm that Howard is gone, and it has to be on the DL.”

“Of course. but I think for now we need to rest and not start anymore drama,” Twilight suggested.

“I’ll stay on the couch for the night,” he said, “but I can’t not tell Luna.”

“No…” Ember said as she hugged him. “Join us, we missed you.”

He inhaled deeply, then leaned into the hug. “Sure.”

[Canterlot Castle - The Next Day]

The alicorn sisters were enjoying breakfast when Gregory flew in without his wings. He explained everything and needless to say they were shocked. “Everything Starswirl taught me about the dead coming back has just been thrown out the window,” Celestia muttered.

“And now these cretins are going to sit back and wait for us to drop our guard?” Luna asked.

“Either that, or cause little problems like an annoying infestation, given what happened to Jason,” Gregory replied.

“In that case we’re going to have to strengthen our defenses and be ready when they do try something,” Luna said. “I’m sorry sister, but this should be a grave concern, one we must not let others know. So our attempts to break your curse in the castle will have to wait.”

“It's alright Luna. The least I can do is help you here.”

“Oh yeah, has there been any progress on getting you out?” Gregory asked.

“No,” Luna said with a sigh. “We’re at a loss. Whatever curse is on my sister is a very complex one. We had many gifted unicorns from the school to help us, but none of them could crack the code. We even had Tirek come by here as part of his rehabilitation, but even he couldn’t help us.”

Gregory froze. “You’re shitting me. You brought in that guy?! What the hell?!”

“He’s actually reforming better but we still think he needs a bit more time until he is ready to rejoin society,” Celestia explained.

“He’s also a devious little shit,” Gregory replied. “Seriously, what the hell?”

The two sisters looked at him confused. “Didn’t you know?” Luna asked. “We assumed you knew about his rehabilitation program.”

“I’ve been out of contact with the world for a few weeks of your time, and a year of my time,” Gregory replied.

“Gregory, we’ve been rehabilitating him since the late Autumn of last year.”

His jaw dropped. “The fuck…how the hell am I just now hearing about-?!” he cut himself off and raised his hands. “Nope, not my problem. I’m not an Equestrian citizen, so what you ponies do in your kingdom is your own business.”

“Before you ask we did have some hesitation but it was thanks to your daughter that we have decided to give him a chance. Besides, to him it was either reformation or spending eternity with Howard,” Luna explained.

“Well, Howard’s gone now anyway,” Gregory said.

“Yes and we will be on the sharp look out for him, his crew, and Grogar.”

“Good fucking luck,” he said with a sigh as he ran his hand through his longer hair before stroking his beard. “I feel like Gandalf,” he muttered. “Anyway, I’ve spent a year to myself and have mastered more of the growing magic inside me.”

“How did you do it?” Celestia asked. “You would have to have either mastered an advanced form of mental control or drained your power to some external source.”

“Remember how my rings and staff enhanced my powers?” he asked. “Well, the magic inside them was actually moving into me and overwhelming me. My kind have no magic, and my body and brain were starting to fade from the strain. I was lucky I found a spot where time moved much faster than outside. It gave me extra time to find the balance necessary to begin to fully master my magic. Remember, there is the magic of pretty much every Windigo running through me and my magic items. That’s pretty much a metric fuckton, to use the technical term. Magical meditation is a blessing. I’ve mastered many other abilities that I didn’t even know I had, but I’ll keep them hidden.”

The two sisters nodded in understanding. “I hope this means you won’t be leaving your family behind again when trouble comes. Because we learned about what happened in the time you were gone.”

“I left because the trouble was me,” he clarified. “My magic was out of control, and my wife, marefriend, daughter, and my new son were becoming afraid of me. I think you two can identify with what it’s like to be feared.”

Luna visibly cringed a bit. Celestia was quick to comfort her. “Understood, my friend. Is there anything else we need to know?” the elder sister asked.

Gregory told the two about his out of body experience where he visited some secret location where Grogar and his new allies/subordinates were. “I couldn’t get a lock on where it was, but it was in a mountainous and snowy location.”

Luna’s eyes widened a bit. “The next railroad mainline is expected to pass through a mountain range. I will have to inform the surveyors to be extra careful.”

“No, tell them not to go at all,” Gregory clarified. “I don’t care if the railroad could triple their profits from this new branchline, nobody can go there. It could be the location of the enemy.”

“I know that but if the surveyors even find something they would quickly inform me.”

“Not if they’re killed,” Gregory said bluntly.

“Very well. I will inform the surveyors to pull out of the northwestern mountain range.”

“Nobody should go to a mountain range north or south,” Gregory said. “I know Equestria still isn’t on the best terms with other nations, but perhaps a quiet warning should be issued. We don’t want the enemy to know we know where they are or were.”

The three continued discussing their plans for what to do but the one thing they all agreed on was making sure nothing got leaked. Whether it might cause panic to the public or gets learned by whatever is watching from the shadows.

[Baltimare Locomotive Works - A Month Later]

Gregory landed outside the huge facility with numerous chimneys and train tracks everywhere. He then saw Connie slowly approaching the facility from around the bend. She stopped right by Gregory. “Hey Greg, didn’t think you’d be here. You know this big surprise Andrew is hiding?”

“No idea,” Gregory said. “And don’t call me Greg.”

“But it's shorter. I can call you male Elsa,” Connie said.

That earned her a deadpan look from Gregory. ”How do you learn these things? I'll never know.”

Soon a pair of small doors opened and Andrew came out. He approached the two and cleared his throat and began to sing. “Listen my friends and I will tell you about my new venture.”

“The railways of the world all need an engine of stature.” A large pair of doors with tracks opened.

“Behold I give you now the future,” he sang as he gestured to the fully opened door only for something to come rumbling out of the darkness.

Gregory raised an eyebrow as he watched a large locomotive come out only to stop right in front of Connie. This locomotive practically dwarfed Connie. The engine was a 4-8-4 wheel configuration and it looked american. “Lady and Gentlemen, I give you… The Minotaria Government Railway’s engine number one, also known as Mighty Franklin.”

Gregory looked back at Connie and could sense her fear rising. “Uh…hello?”

“Howdy,” the engine responded, making Gregory do a double take. Even this new voice made the ground tremble.

“Wait, this thing is alive too?!” he asked Andrew in alarm. “How?”

“Let’s just say Robbie and I have been doing some…experiments,” he then leaned in and whispered to Gregory. “And I know about the deal you made with him.” Gregory gave him a glare and was just about to yell something when he felt Andrew’s hand on his mouth. “Not here, let's discuss this in the office,” he whispered. “Connie, how about you mingle with your fellow engine while Gregory and I talk inside.”

“Uh sure?” Connie said as the two walked inside. It was now her and the mammoth locomotive in front of her. “So… you’re working for minotaurs?”

The two traversed the huge workshop. Gregory took a moment to appreciate the huge machines and the locomotives of different sizes being assembled by many creatures. The two then entered a small office where papers were strewn about. Andrew took a seat at a desk and gestured to Gregroy to sit at the chair in front of it. “This is Branchline’s office but he won’t mind us using this for a bit. Here we can talk freely. This room has a bit of spell keeping out any spies and rivalries from listening in.”

“Uh huh,” Gregory said before raising his hand. The sound of ice forming surrounded the small office, only it sounded like it came from inside the walls. “Now we can talk freely. How do you know about what Robbie and I discussed? I specifically told him not to tell anyone.”

“He came to me right after you left looking for you,” Andrew began. “The bell has been acting strange since you left.”

He sighed. “Probably acting like the One Ring looking for Sauron,” Gregory muttered. “And he knows where I am. I’ve been back for a fucking month, so he could have come to me when I came back.”

“No, remember at your wedding the bell was vibrating from an overload?” he asked. Then he reached into a drawer and pulled out two pictures. The first picture had the bell encased in enchanted ice. “This was the bell after your wedding.” He then pulled out a second picture of the same bell. Gregory looked closer at it until he noticed something. Andrew pointed it out. “That crack wasn't there before.”

“Fucking shit…” Gregory muttered. “Again, I’ve been back for a month. He could have come to me.”

“He didn’t know where you were when the problems began two months ago,” he said. “And you were God know where doing some meditation thing.”

“You. Aren’t. Listening. Like I said, I’ve been back for a month, and I’ve hardly left my damn apartment. Ember and Twilight have me on house arrest, not to mention Starlight insisting that I work in her office.”

“Well, while you were gone the bell was having another overload, but from what we don’t know. However, we learned that the bell also acts like an energy converter. We took whatever foreign magic spawned inside and made chaos remnants which we are now using for a special project me and Golden Spike have been drawing out.”

“Chaos magic isn’t a toy,” Gregory said. “Jason was right to spread Discord’s magic into the entire world. You should have done that.”

“Well what else were we supposed to do? We tried spreading it again. It came back. This was one of the few things we had to do and Robbie's chaotic home dimension can only hold so much.”

“You could have talked to Discord about it,” Gregory said. “He’s the biggest expert on chaos magic.”

“That was the first thing we did. But even Discord said and I quote, he’s ‘...never seen so much energy in one place.’ It's like it was amplified by Howard’s use.”

“Of course it was,” Gregory groaned. “Welp, what did he tell you about what I made him promise?”

“He was reluctant but when he noticed the new cracks he felt like he was holding a nuclear bomb that was timed and charging.”

He sighed. “Fair, fair.”

“Luckily we used enough chaos to bring the bell under control and used it to create souls. The same kind that was used to bring Connie to life.”

“You…played…GOD?!” Gregory snapped at him.

“It may sound like that but come on don’t act like you haven't done that already. You’re controlling some of mother nature's powers.”

“I’m not creating life!” Gregory said, standing angrily. “I can’t get my wife pregnant, so why the fuck would I create life?!”

“I did it because it was a part of something much bigger.”

Before Gregory could snap again there was a knock at the door. “Mr. Wilberts, is everything okay in there? We’re just about to perform another fire up and maybe your friend can witness it.”

Gregory snapped, and the sound of ice melting in the walls could be heard briefly. “You shouldn’t be creating life willy nilly. I don’t care if it’s part of something bigger. It’s wrong.”

“It’s only a few souls that were freshly born.”

“That’s a few too many,” Gregory said. “Connie was accidental, but creating life on purpose? That’s just wrong.”

“Don’t you dare call Connie an accident!” he snapped.

“It’s the truth,” Gregory replied calmly now. “That doesn’t make her existence any less amazing.”

There was a tense silence until the knocking came again.“Mr. Wilberts?”

“Perhaps it may be wrong but you’d be amazed by what I’ve learned. Would you at least like to see the birth of another?”

He groaned. “Fine, sure,” he muttered.

“Great. Oh and by the way you’ll be surprised on who the chief mechanic here is.”

“Time Turner?”

“No, a certain G1 character,” he said before turning to the door. “You can come in now Katrina.”

The door opened and a female abyssinian walked in. Gregory raised an eyebrow at the abyssinian. “Katrina, is it? You’re an engineer?”

“Oh no, just a mechanic. This job was a part of my probation for something.”

“She was once a thief who was born in Kludge Town and immigrated here,” Andrew explained.

Gregory looked between the two, then sighed. “Understood. Let’s go watch this birth,” he muttered, still hating the idea of them creating life.

The three walked into the workshop where an engine stood on the track. One pony was holding a strange glowing jar. He jumped in the cab and a few moments later there was the sound of glass breaking. “Alright lads, give me the match,” he said but then a dragon shoved him aside.

“Allow me,” he said as he blew into the firebox and the engine immediately started building steam. Soon a headlight flickered on and a few seconds later there was an audible yawn. Andrew, Gregory and Katrina walked up to the front. “Well Gregory, can you now sense the emotion?”

He nodded. “Yes, and it-no, she-is afraid,” Gregory replied.

“Hmm, a near Fluttershy personality in this one,” he said.

The train suddenly sprang to life and began moving fast along the tracks, a female voice babbling incoherently as it headed to a siding at breakneck speeds. Gregory swore and created a massive pile of snow in front of the train. She slammed into it, and he flew over to her, landing next to her and putting a hand on the side. “Shhh…shhh,” he whispered soothingly to her, “take it easy, miss. Everything’s gonna be okay. You’re safe now.”

“Boy, never seen a birth like that,” said a new voice as a small six wheel tank engine came out of another siding.

Gregory continued to soothe the scared and now trembling engine. However, something happened that not even he could expect. The engine began to shake harder, pieces of metal flying off of the new engine. It began to tear itself apart, causing everyone to evacuate. However, Gregory remained, because he sensed no pain. Instead, he sensed a claustrophobic feeling coming from deep inside the engine. In a shower of metal and sparks, the engine exploded, enveloping the siding with smoke and shattered pieces of metal.

Everybody watched in silent anticipation as the pieces of metal settled and the smoke began to clear. Eventually, the silhouette of a man carrying a limp object in his arms appeared from the smoke. When the figure became clearer, they saw Gregory…carrying a human woman with gray skin and black hair. The woman was covered in Gregory’s overcoat to hide her shame from everyone. Without saying a word, he walked past the crowd, heading towards the train that would take him back home.

Andrew watched in utter disbelief. “Five locomotives built and this one just… became human?”

Katrina wrote something down on a clipboard. “And unlike the others, she didn’t give us her name. What would’ve been her name?”

“When she’s ready she’ll tell us,” Andrew said. “For now, stop production for today.”

In the meantime, Gregory paid for two tickets back to Haven City along with a few blankets to cover up the naked gray skinned woman. He placed her down in the seat, making sure she was warm. Her pulse was strong, and it seemed as if she was only asleep. He sat next to her and made sure she was comfortable. As he did this, an announcement came over the PA. “Ladies and gentlebeings due to a line blockage we are unable to provide service at this time. Passengers looking to travel will have the option of being refunded or be given a free night in a hotel of their choice until the line is clear. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Gregory mentally swore, but nodded as he gently lifted the woman up. He then considered using the teleportation rings he, Ember, and now Twilight shared, but Twilight was visiting Cadance and Shining up in the Crystal Empire and Ember was back in the Dragon Lands. He didn’t want to carry her back while flying, so he began lifting her up. However, as he did so, she stirred and moaned. When she opened her eyes, he saw that they were glowing like a train light.

The woman looked up and noticed Gregory. She then began to squirm and fidget like a scared animal. “Easy, miss,” Gregory said soothingly, “I’m not here to hurt you. How are you feeling?”

“I…I don’t know,” she said before looking down. “Where are my wheels? Where’s my cab?” She began to panic again.

He put a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Take deep breaths, okay?” he encouraged her. She still probably had the mindset of a train, so learning human motor skills might not be too easy. “Can you move your body?”

“Uh…I think,” she said as she took a shaky step while keeping the coat on her body.

Gregory held onto her hands, which were surprisingly warm. “Okay, keep looking at me,” he said encouragingly, “and put one foot in front of the other. If you’re having problems, let me know and we’ll stop and rest.”

At one point, she stumbled and Gregory caught her, holding her in his arms. “Easy now,” he said, “you’re alright.” He could feel her not only trembling, but her inner terror and fear. Quickly, he felt her burying her face into his chest and his shirt became stained with tears. He held her close as he rubbed her back, sitting down on one of the benches. “You’ll be alright, I promise,” he said reassuringly, “I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”

The woman smiled slightly and leaned in and whispered a thank you. “You’re welcome…” Gregory said, then trailed off when he realized he didn’t know her name. “Um, do you have a name, or would you like me to give you one? I know a good name for you.”

“Oh, my name is Raven. At least that's what I think my name is.”

Gregory smiled at her. “A lovely name for a lovely young woman. I was gonna suggest the same name too. Are you feeling ready to walk again?” She nodded, and the two continued walking towards the exit where they found Andrew standing outside the station.

“How is she feeling?” he simply asked.

“Fine, no thanks to you playing God.” Gregory replied, making a conscious effort not to let his anger show. He turned to Raven. “Climb onto my back for now. You’re gonna need some shoes and your feet will be hurt on the ground.” Raven nodded and did so, clinging tightly to Gregory.

“Look, can we at least talk over some dinner after we find more… appropriate clothing,” Andrew suggested.

Gregory looked back at Raven. “You’re human now, so you need to eat food like we do. How does dinner sound?”

Raven looked at the two and nodded.

An hour later, the three sat in a nice restaurant in a lonely booth. Raven was sitting fairly close to Gregory on one side while Andrew sat on the other side with Rainbow Dash. Raven was now wearing a pair of jeans, a black sweatshirt, and a pair of normal shoes with black socks. Gregory had helped her tie her hair back in a ponytail because she didn’t like how it got in her way.

“So your sixth living loco and this happens?” Rainbow asked.

“Apparently,” Andrew said.

“Ever heard about the Law of Unintended Consequences?” Gregory asked as he kept his anger in check, “or how about the Law of Fuck Around And Find Out? You just decided to go and play the Almighty God, and you’re surprised when shit doesn’t go the way you want?”

“If Faust didn’t want this then she should’ve not allowed at least all of my projects to come alive,” Andrew said.

“She allowed Grogar to create the first monsters, and look how that turned out,” Gregory said. He sighed and put a gentle hand on Raven’s shoulder. “The emotions I’m feeling from this young woman are nothing like the bigger one you showed me earlier. That train was like…maybe a comparable term would be A.I.”

“He has a name and it’s Franklin.”

“Okay, Franklin feels like an A.I.,” Gregory said. “A very sophisticated one, but an A.I. ”

“That's what I first thought but we gave him a test and he had the one thing all A.I.s don’t have.”

“And what’s that?” Gregory asked.

“Spontaneous emotional response,” he simply said.

“Hmm…perhaps so, but the point is that Raven here felt massively different from Franklin. Hell, she even felt different from Connie.”

“All personalities in all the engines I helped build had different personalities. A couple of them were energetic and Franklin has a bit of a Big Mac personality.”

Gregory groaned. “I’m obviously not going to convince you otherwise,” he said. “All I can say is this is a massively terrible idea.”

“It’s an idea that's been working well in the time you were gone,” Andrew said.

“The same could be said of many other ideas humans have had that went terribly wrong, like asbestos,” Gregory replied.

“Well I’m certainly not gonna make the same mistakes as the Chernobyl designers and take cheap routes.”

Gregory sighed again. “Uh huh, you had better be careful then.”

“I said that same exact thing when I met one of his engines,” Rainbow said.

“At least someone has some decent sense,” Gregory said, reaching a fist over to her. She hoofbumped him back.

“So, I never asked the others, but what's it like being born?” Rainbow asked Raven.

The girl perked up and was deep in thought for a moment. She then looked up and explained. “It felt like some kind of…dream. I only remembered rolling on some tracks through a dark tunnel. Next thing I knew there was a field of flowers and a blue sky and there was another locomotive in front of me leading me down the track.”

“Wait, so you saw some other engine? Did it look like something you knew?” Andrew asked.

“I don’t know, but it looked odd. It looked like it was made of different materials like stone and wood,” she said.

“Hmm, a chaos train, perhaps,” Gregory muttered.

“No it spoke and said to me, ‘You’re going to be fine. Just follow me.’”

“What happened next?” Rainbow asked.

“It sprang into the air and landed on big legs and that's when I saw the front. It had a giant eye on the smokebox door. And there hovering next to it was some kind of head with wings.”

“Wait? Did you say giant eye and head with wings?” Andrew asked in near fear.

“Sounds like a Biblical angel,” Gregory added.

“The engine said he and his friend were my gods and that my soul was to be forged out.”

“Did they say their names?” Andrew asked.

“Faust and Awdry,” she said.

There was a huge silence at the table. “That weird god who was a train?” Gregory asked.

“Remember when I touched the Olifant long ago?” Andrew asked.

Gregory facepalmed. “Yes, that’s what I was talking about.” He looked down at Raven, who was struggling to eat some vegetable broth. He reached over and began helping the young woman. For a human, she looked like she was in her mid-twenties. “Take it easy, and don’t have too much at once,” he said softly.

Raven ate slower and was looking more relaxed. “That was all I could remember before I was struck with a blinding light and waking up in that workshop and seeing you guys.”

Gregory could feel her start to settle down, then gave her a reassuring smile. “Well, you’re safe now,” he promised. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“Thank you,” she said before looking out the window. The train yard was just a quick shot up the street.

Gregory felt her longing through his senses. She was human now, but she clearly had her desire to be involved in the train business again. “Raven,” he said, “do you want to come live with me for a while? I think I know of something you can do to feel like a…and I can’t believe I’m about to say it like this…a really useful human.”

Andrew couldn’t help but grin. Rainbow snickered a bit. Raven looked at him. “What are you suggesting I do?”

“You could work at the train station in my town,” he said. “It’s getting pretty busy, and last time I checked, it’s a bit understaffed. I think having a train turned human working there would help.”

“Actually, we’ve hired more help in your absence but there might be other uses we can use,” Andrew said before getting an idea.

“Oh, believe me, I know you hired more, but it’s still somewhat understaffed now. I overheard a couple of ponies talking at the station before it left.”

“Actually I appreciate the offer but can we go back to the yard after we’re done? I want to…try something.”

After everyone finished their meals, the group were standing in the yard, watching Raven do whatever it was she was trying to do. For some reason, she was on her hands and knees on the tracks, eyes closed as she seemed to be concentrating. Gregory looked especially worried. He had felt that, like how Connie had kind of…imprinted on Andrew, this Raven had done something similar to him. He felt nervous for the newborn as she seemed to strain. However, after a while, she stood up defeated and slowly walked over to the three, leaning into Gregory’s chest. He hugged her gently. “It’s okay, you tried,” he said reassuringly.

“Try concentrating on remembering Awdry’s voice,” came a voice from the sidings. It was the same tank engine that was at the workshop earlier.

Gregory looked down at Raven, then gently led her back to the tracks. “Want to try again?” he asked.

Raven nodded and closed her eyes. Rainbow watched the two interact, then looked at Andrew. “She’s taken a bit of a shine to him pretty quickly. And I think he’s done the same with her.”

“Yeah, let’s hope Ember doesn't throw a fit,” Andrew said.

“I didn’t mean romantically, you dolt,” Rainbow said.

“I know, but you know how she gets,” he said.

Gregory spoke gentle words of encouragement as Raven continued to concentrate. Suddenly her eyes glowed brighter than before. It nearly blinded Gregory as he stumbled back a bit before the whole place became enveloped in a bright light. When it cleared there stood a 4-4-2 Atlantic locomotive.

Gregory walked up and put a hand on the side of Raven’s train body. He then noticed that the name on the locomotive itself said RAVEN. He chuckled. “Nice name tag.”

Raven’s voice came through the front, and she chuckled. “Yeah.”

A few moments later a series of chuffs and wheels turning came and a few more locomotives entered the yard and practically gathered around her.

Gregory jumped into the cab and looked up at the ceiling. “How are you feeling now?” he asked her.

“I feel amazing,” she said.

Gregory chuckled. “And being human wasn’t equally as amazing?” he asked in a teasing tone as he patted the cab’s walls.

“Heh, it was amazing in another way,” Raven replied.

The other engines in the yard that gathered stood there. Gregory could sense a range of emotions from happy to proud. “Raven, welcome to the team,” Franklin said.

Gregory looked up at Raven, then asked, “Do you think you’re able to change back, or was this a one time thing?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “When I changed the first time I felt weak but I felt something that gave me a push. I think it was you.”

Gregory got out of the cab and stood on the side of the new train. “Do you want to try changing back now, or later?”

Raven was silent for a moment before responding. “Let me get to know my fellow engines first. When we meet again I’ll ask you.”

“Go ahead,” he said, patting her on the side as she moved off. He had a smile on his face. Part of him couldn’t wait to introduce her to his family.

“I’ll see to it that her first assignment leads to Haven City,” Andrew said.

Gregory looked at him. “Good,” he said. “Now, I’m gonna get some sack time.”

“Don’t you want to meet the other few engines born here?” Andrew asked.

“I’m way too tired right now,” he said with a yawn as he began trudging through the yard towards the local hotel.

[Haven City - One Month Later]

Gregory walked through town simply enjoying the early spring day. Of course he had his guard up in case anything were to happen. Raven was walking by his side, now wearing a lovely dark red dress and a scarf made by Rarity for her. Gregory had insisted that the newest member of his growing family worked a normal human work week and had weekends off. She would sleep in the new bedroom at Gregory’s house.

When he had introduced Raven to the others in his family, Ember was a bit taken aback by the inclusion, but Twilight had been over the moon excited to talk to the gray skinned human. Cozy and Spike both immediately saw her as their big sister.

Over the month, she had worked as a train, and on weekends, Gregory had taught her some things about being human, such as how to write, how her physical body worked (which he actually asked Stacy to help with since he felt it inappropriate to teach her certain female things), and other various aspects of life. The two had grown close, forming an instant father/daughter bond. Of course it was also natural that Raven also saw Connie as a sister, which Gregory only encouraged. He loved her, and she loved him, that was the biggest thing that mattered to the two of them.

They soon noticed a crowd gathering around something. Andrew noticed them and waved them over. “Guys, get over here. This is funny.”

Gregory and Raven walked over to see what was going on. After going through the crowd standing in the open was Trixie and much to Gregory’s surprise Robbie. The two were staring at eachother like a wild west showdown. “Ready for round two, great and powerful one?”

“What is going on?” Gregory whispered to Andrew.

“Watch and wonder,” he said.

“One…two…” Trixie said.

“Three…four,” Said Robbie.

“I declare a wizard war!” they both said.

“I cast MANUAL BREATHING!” Trixie shouted as she fired a beam at Robbie.

Robbie began breathing rapidly. “You bitch! I cast a RUNNING NOSE!”

“What is this, a D&D match?” Gregory asked.

“It's basically their own take on a magical duel,” Rainbow replied.

“At least Trixie doesn’t have that nasty amulet,” Gregory muttered as he put an arm around Raven.

“Oh yeah,” Trixie said with a stuffed up nose. “I cast ITCHY BACK!”

“Ooh my back! Someone get me a scratcher,” Robbie said as he tried to relieve the itch.

“Watch this gets more interesting,” Andrew said. “Let's just say I hope you don’t have a perverted mind.”

“Dude, I’m married to the Dragon Lord and dating another mare, what do you think?” Gregory retorted.

“Alright Trix, you asked for it. My new trick, I cast a MASSIVE PLOT!”

As Trixie’s rear grew bigger, the crowd went wild. Gregory snorted and called out, “Big Bootylicious!”

Trixie’s face went as red as an apple. “Oh yeah! Well, I cast uh…uh…darn it! I can’t concentrate.”

“Yay! I won!” Robbie said.

“It seems the goal is to try and make your opponent lose focus,” Andrew explained.

Gregory walked up to Trixie as the crowd slowly dispersed. “Well, you’re in a bit of a pickle,” he chuckled as he looked from her massive rear back to her face. “Need any help?”

“The great and p-powerful Trixie doesn’t need… oh who is she kidding? Just don’t think about swatting it or I’m telling Ember.”

“I won’t,” he promised. “You know, you’re cute when you’re flustered. Of course, you’re cute all the time.”

“Shut up…” she groaned as she struggled to get her hind legs up and started walking towards Robbie.

“Robbie, fix her,” Gregory called out.

“Oh very well,” he said as he snapped his fingers. Trixie’s rear began shrinking. “You know you’d be surprised how some stallions would like a more fuller mare.”

“Don’t tease the poor mare,” Gregory replied. “Trixie is plenty gorgeous how she is already.”

“Flatterer,” Trixie said.

“Hey, I’m serious,” Gregory said. “You’re very attractive.”

Trixie blushed, then swatted Gregory with her tail. “Hmph!” She put her hat back on and strutted back to the school, albeit with a blush on her face. She gave Gregory one look, then galloped away after throwing down a smoke bomb.

Raven walked up and whispered. “Is this kind of thing normal around here?”

“Indeed, welcome to Gaia,” Andrew said.

“Remember when I showed you those MLP episodes and I said that Ponyville was like the weird capital of the world?” Gregory asked.

“Yes I remember those episodes,” she said. “I liked the one where the crusaders finally got their mark.”

“That’s a good episode,” Gregory said. “Well, Haven City is like the new weird capital of the world.” He looked back at the disappearing smoke from Trixie’s smoke bomb. “She’s probably gonna tell Ember and Twilight about earlier. I’d better be prepared for them to sleep elsewhere tonight.”

“Marriages are strange,” Raven said as she pondered this.

“Speaking of which, what are you doing here Robbie?” Gregory asked. “I thought I told you to stay hidden.”

“I know but things have been far too quiet and it's been a while since I've seen anyone.”

“You’re taking a major risk,” he said with a shake of his head, “but just be careful.” He looked over at Raven. “Now then, I believe I promised you ice cream. Spike and Cozy are waiting for us.”

[Seeds of Yggdrasil - A Month Later]

The school semester was going by just fine with the addition of new students enrolling and new lessons being implemented. Gregory was of course glad to be back in a familiar setting teaching his students. Of course he did ask Stacy to place some tanks just to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Today he was teaching the kids about an event that had an entire nation fooled for one night. “The War of the Worlds broadcast became known as one of the biggest unintended hoaxes of all time,” he explained. “People tuned in too late to hear the disclaimer at the beginning of the broadcast, so many panicked and began believing that aliens had indeed begun to invade Earth.”

“So this radio drama practically sounded too real?” Gallus asked.

“Yes,” Gregory replied. “It got so bad that even the police were trying to stop the rest of the show from airing. After all that, everyone was so mad at that radio station that they issued an apology.”

“Strange I heard something similar happened in Equestria,” Sandbar said.

Gregory perked up. “Oh? Care to elaborate?” He then noticed Twilight Sparkle looking away nervously.

“Well you see,” Sandbar began. “Long ago, the friendship express was passing through Ponyville when the engineer saw some ponies acting strange, moaning loudly, and had rainbow covered mouths. He then saw what looked like Rainbow Dash flying away with fear from another building. The crew and passengers saw this and assumed it was some real plague or zombie outbreak.” A thump was heard and Gregory looked to see Twilight Sparkle face planting on the desk. Sandbar continued however. “The train left instead of stopping and once it reached the next station the crew sent out an emergency call and soon the entire railway was shut down and many ponies were trying to seek shelter.” Twilight was practically trying to cover her ears with her hooves as Sandbar continued. “Eventually, Princess Celestia and Luna went down to Ponyville with a platoon of guards and attempted to attack the zombies but it turns out it was a giant prank on Rainbow Dash. Luckily no one was hurt but rumor has it that Celestia looked pretty mad.”

“Excuse me a moment,” Twilight said as she stood up and walked out of the room. A few seconds later a scream erupted from the halls. A moment later Twilight walked back in looking drained. “I think I’ll be spending the rest of the period in the lounge,” she said as she left.

It got quiet until Smolder spoke up. “Nice one Sand.”

Later that day Gregory entered the lounge and saw Twilight with her face in a book. She was looking very annoyed. “Are you doing alright, Twiggles?”

“Don’t Twiggles me,” she simply said.

Gregory just sat down at the chair across from her. “Want to talk about it?”

Twilight sighed. “Lets just say you bronies and pegasisters are right to hate that episode. What we did was far worse or just as bad as that Mare do well stunt. I played a gamble with my friendship with Rainbow and that backfired right after the end.”

“I take it Sunbutt was pissed?”

“Well… it wasn’t just Celestia.”

[Ponyville - Long Before Jason]

The entire town was gathered outside town hall where Twilight, her friends, and the mayor stood on the front porch of the hall where a few other ponies from Canterlot stood. Rainbow Dash was on a cloud above watching the scene. One of the ponies on the porch was reading a list out loud. “Several delayed and canceled trains. Suspended trade with neighboring nations out of fear of virus spread. Widespread panic across the nation. Widespread looting and price gouging as a result of panic. Any questions?” Princess Luna asked sternly.

“In short, you’re mad at us?” Twilight asked.

Celestia facehoofed and sighed. “I’m not mad, Twilight. I’m just disappointed.”

Golden Spike stepped up. “As for me and some of my colleagues we’re not mad…we’re FURIOUS!” The entire town jumped at that. “The press will tear both this town and my railway apart. I’ll be lucky if only one lawsuit comes out of this from all the confusion and delays. I hope you and your town are happy with this prank you caused.”

Twilight just stammered. “Sir we didn’t mean for this to get out of-”

“It was her idea!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing to Twilight.

“HEY!” Twilight snapped.

“Twilight thought this prank would help Rainbow’s pranking habits and she roped us into it,” Pinkie explained.

“Wasn’t it also your idea as well?” Twilight asked.

“Actually, darling, it was mostly your brainstorming and I didn’t want to do this from the beginning,” Rarity said.

“Yes you did,” Applejack said. “You know we had to do something. She scared Fluttershy.”

“Everything scares Fluttershy,” Rarity retorted.

“Hey…” Flutershy whimpered, sounding hurt.

“Oh, no offense darling,” Rarity said before turning back to Applejack. “And you encouraged Rainbow’s pranks by telling her it was lazy to-”

“Quiet! All of you and this town are to blame for this. Somepony has to pay for this manure and that's exactly what's going to happen,” Golden said as another Stallion approached. “Ah, Silver Streak, perhaps you can tell me the amount of damage the panic has caused?”

The stallion looked through his notes on a clipboard. “Yes sir, and after doing the math from all the cities this is the total amount estimated,” he said as he gave a slip of paper.

Golden Spike looked over the paper and smiled. “I will let bygones be bygones and continue to let my company serve Ponyville if you were to pay this bill.”

Mayor Mare and Twilight looked at the bill and the color drained from both of their faces.

[Present]

“Wow, that's more than what the town had to pay Jason,” Gregory said.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t get help from Celestia because she wanted this to be a useful learning experience. She said a huge intervention on Rainbow would’ve helped and it would’ve been worth a try at least. However, much to our surprise, Rainbow was able to convince them to lower the bill due to her being the big victim. We were able to pay it off eventually thanks to a huge tax increase as well as a charity show by the Wonderbolts,” Twilight explained.

“I assumed Rainbow had something to do with that?” Gregory asked.

“Yeah. Small blessings, I guess,” she said.

“Did Rainbow really take this prank in stride?” Gregory asked.

“No, she actually had nightmares for a week. She was mad at us for a while but got over it eventually. She told us and I quote ‘let's agree we both went too far’ and that was it.”

“Sounds to me like you moved on,” Gregory said.

“Yeah, but it still grinds my gears,” Twilight said.

“Honestly, you six may have been friends at that point, but clearly communication wasn’t your biggest strength,” Gregory said. “I get that you were still a bit new to friendship during the Mare-Do-Well incident, but the others should have really known better.”

“I know that already,” Twilight groaned. “Thanks for being the upteenth person to repeat that.”

“Twilight, a lot of things should be repeated so the lesson isn’t lost,” he replied gently. “But anyway, that was never something shown in the show. The aftermath, I mean. Anyway, classes are over. You ready to head home, or do you have any other plans today with friends?”

“Well I didn't have time to get the newspaper. Starlight says I should look at it though. Something about unusual weather patterns in other parts of the world.”

Gregory scowled at that. “That’s not good. Come on, I get the paper delivered to our apartment. It’s closer, and we can get there faster. Let’s go see just what’s going on.”

[Grogar’s Hideout - One Month Later]

Howard and Grogar looked through the orb at the many scenes from Haven City. Grogar watched with a look of judgment while Howard just watched with annoyance. “So much for him being ostracized. It even looks like he mastered his own control,” he said as he sighed. “I swear his stubbornness is to be admired.”

Grogar said nothing but eventually sighed. “I don’t have the patience for this. It would seem instead of him coming to find us, we might as well switch over to a new plan.”

“You mean we’re going with attack plan B instead of waiting for winter?” Howard asked.

“Yes it may not be straight forward but it is subtle and sneaky. My student, rally your cohorts, make them ready. Your time to shine is now upon you.”

“And what if he sees through the lies?” Howard asked.

“Your immunity has been building up fast. You should be more immune to anyone with a lie detection,” Grogar explained. “Now get ready.”

Howard grinned and bowed. “I may have said this before but I’ll say it again. Let the festivities begin.”